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In pictures: Election highs and lows

It was a night of celebration for parties of the centre-right and far-right in Europe, many of whom enjoyed the backing of millions of voters choosing 736 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for a five-year term.

Parties of the centre-left - including Germany's Social Democrats (whose chairman, Franz Muentefering, is pictured), the UK's Labour Party and France's Socialists - suffered setbacks of historic proportions.

In the UK, the British National Party (BNP) won its first two seats, adding to successes by other far-right, anti-immigrant parties in the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Slovakia and Hungary.

Their electoral advances met with anger and unease. In the UK, protesters briefly prevented BNP leader entering the building in Manchester where results were being announced.

As the downturn continues to bite, many ruling parties were punished by voters. In Ireland, the worst performing economy in Western Europe, Fianna Fail was left without a single representative in the parliament.

There were some exceptions to the swing to the right. In Greece, the Socialists tasted their first electoral victory in years, taking 37% of the vote to the ruling conservatives' 33%.

Green parties - an alternative outlet for disillusioned voters - performed well in several countries including France, where they equalled the Socialist Party on 16%.

But many of the disillusioned voted with their feet - some staying away from the ballot box altogether, others urged to spoil their votes (as suggested by the defacers of this poster of German Chancellor Angela Merkel).

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